Efren Geronimo Peñaflorida, (born March 5, 1981), is a Filipino teacher and development worker. He offers Filipino youth an alternative to
street gangs through education, recreating school settings in unconventional locations such as cemeteries and trash dumps.
In March 2009, Peñaflorida was featured as a
CNN Hero as part of the news network's program to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to help others. On November 22, 2009, he was named
CNN Hero of the Year
''CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'' is a television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Since 2016, the ...
.
Early life
Efren Peñaflorida was born the middle child of Efren Peñaflorida Sr., a
tricycle driver, and Lucila Geronimo, a housewife.
The family eventually started a small nut business to make ends meet.
Efren grew up in an urban slum near an
open dump
Open or OPEN may refer to:
Music
* Open (band), Australian pop/rock band
* The Open (band), English indie rock band
* ''Open'' (Blues Image album), 1969
* ''Open'' (Gotthard album), 1999
* ''Open'' (Cowboy Junkies album), 2001
* ''Open'' (YF ...
site in
Cavite City
Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( fil, Lungsod ng Kabite, Spanish and cbk, Ciudad de Cavite), is a 4th class component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 100,674 people.
The city was the ...
,
Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...
, playing amongst garbage and swimming in polluted waters.
He would often fall victim to neighborhood bullying.
Peñaflorida was one of
World Vision
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
's sponsored-children during his early childhood.
Peñaflorida completed his elementary and high school education through the help of scholarships and financial assistance, and received several class awards and honors.
In 2000, he graduated from
San Sebastian College–Recoletos de Cavite with a degree in
computer technology
Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, e ...
, receiving highest honors.
He pursued a second course at
Cavite City campus of the
Cavite State University
Cavite State University (CvSU; fil, Pamantasang Pampamahalaan ng Cavite) is the premier university of the province of Cavite in the Philippines. Its main campus, known as the Don Severino delas Alas Campus, is located in the Municipality of In ...
, graduating ''
cum laude'' in 2006 with a degree in
Secondary Education
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...
.
Dynamic Teen Company
In 1997, at 16 years old, Peñaflorida started a youth group in his high school aimed at diverting students' attention away from street gangs, and towards
community activism and personal development.
Joined by other classmates, they named the group
Dynamic Teen Company.
Dynamic Teen Company started as a friendship club of around 20 members, with an aim of providing youth awareness projects, talent and self-development activities, and community services.
They collaborated with Club 8586, another community service organization operating in the area.
They eventually pioneered the idea of the "pushcart classroom", where pushcarts were stocked with school materials such as books, pens, tables, and chairs, and then used on Saturdays to recreate school settings in unconventional locations such as the cemetery or trash dump.
CNN Hero
Peñaflorida was nominated for
CNN Heroes
''CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'' is a television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Since 2016, the ...
by Club 8586, the youth group that financed his elementary and high school education.
After sifting through 9,000 nominees from over 100 countries, CNN's Blue Ribbon Panel selected Peñaflorida as one of its 28 heroes of 2009. On October 1, Peñaflorida was named among the ten finalists. On November 22, he was named
CNN Hero of the Year
''CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'' is a television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Since 2016, the ...
for 2009.
The award includes $100,000 cash to continue his work with Dynamic Teen Company.
Philippine President
The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...
conferred on Efren Peñaflorida the
Order of Lakandula in a ceremony at
Malacañang Palace
Malacañang Palace ( fil, Palasyo ng Malakanyang, ; es, Palacio de Malacañán), officially known as Malacañan Palace, is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the Philippines. It is located in the Manila distric ...
upon his return to the Philippines.
References
http://educationforthepoor-blog.tumblr.com/post/3696371234/life-and-education-efren-peñaflorida-was-born-the
External links
CNN HeroesEfren Peñafloridaon
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penaflorida, Efren
1981 births
Living people
Filipino educators
People from Cavite City
Recipients of the Order of Lakandula